April 15, 2010

Imagine it: A pillow that you can eat, or alternately, a tasty treat on which you can rest your weary head. No more raiding the fridge for a midnight snack! Any takers?

Perhaps not. If you're anything like me, these bars would never have a chance to be used as a pillow as they would be gobbled up before one's eyes could even flutter closed.
Yes, these are some soft and tender treats. I'm not enamored of Dorie Greenspan as so many people seem to be, but I do often enjoy the recipes she's created. Really, I think this particular concoction makes up for any disappointments I may have previously had using her cookbooks.

The Tuesdays with Dorie group made these applesauce spice bars a while back, and as I'm wont to do, I trailed behind and finally made them myself months later. They really do deserve high praise--they're pillowy, as I think I've mentioned, as well as moist, aromatic (yes, before you ask, I did increase the cinnamon), and flavorful. I used apple butter in lieu of unsweetened applesauce, so they were quite sweet. For this reason, I skipped the (amazingly appetizing) glaze. That was a tough call, but I think it was the right thing to do. I didn't lose any sleep (see what I did there?) over my decision; after all, the glaze would've had a detrimental effect on the functionality of these bars as pillows.*

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
Melt the butter over low heat or in the microwave. Add the brown sugar and stir with a whisk until it is melted and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, mixing until they are well blended. Add the apple butter and vanilla and whisk until the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is once again smooth. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear. Fold in the raisins and nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the bars just start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

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comments:

Mmm...they do look pillowy! Have you heard of the bacon-clock? It wakes you up to the smell of frying bacon :D. I quite like trailing the TWD group too and cherry - picking the recipes to make later. This one look a winner.

I could have guessed you added some extra cinnamon in there! Let's just say cinnamon always makes a pillow more comfy...if I hadn't just scarfed down two huge chunks of warm banana bread, I would be baking this right now!!

BTW: you should check out Heavenly Housewife's blog today.... (http://www.donutstodelirium.com/2010/04/lunch-at-ottolenghi-london/) because there is a photo of an apple cake YOU would commit a crime for. Perhaps you can invent the recipe!

I'm not at all enamored w/ DG, but I bought her cookbook because of Tuesdays w/ Dorie - everything always looked delish. I've made a few things out of it and am always disappointed. Maybe me expectations were too high. {shrug} Your cake, however, looks wonderful. Maybe I'll have to give that one a try.

I'm one of those folks who walks and laughs in their sleep, so tonight I'll probably start eating my pillow while dreaming of these bars. I need to get some apple butter, it's been too long since I've seen that tasty ingredient in my fridge!

These sound tasty! I too have not been won over by Dorie Greenspan. I have the Baking from your kitchen to mine currently checked out from the library and everything I have tried has been average at best.

1) Thanks for the book recommendation.2) Loved the clever post.3) I'll have to think about this long and hard before deciding to try the recipe since I have been disappointed/frustrated too many times with D.G. recipes. 4) Having said that, they still look and sound amazingly delicious.

that sounds delicious! i'm not her biggest fan either for some reason, even though all the recipes of hers i've tried have turned out well. just not my go to sweet person which i suppose is some form of blasphemy, but this does look tempting. :)

These are certainly yummy looking. And they are exactly the kind of dessert I would say Grace would love. Apples, cinnamon... I love them too. You know really your name has become synonymous with cinnamon. A 1/2 teaspoon southern Grace.

Oh these do look so good. You would I am afraid, if you tried to sleep on them, as my Maw maw would put it, "Wake up with your tongue trying to beat its self out of your mouth to get at um'"! Oh I think so.